This invention generally relates to couplers for coupling toy vehicles and, more particularly, to an adjustable coupler assembly for use with model railroad cars.
Couplers for model railroad cars are generally known and are used to couple model railroad cars to one another in order to form a train for operation on a model railroad track. With reference to O-scale model trains specifically, there are two varieties of model train sets: two-rail sets and three-rail sets. For two-rail sets, the model railroad cars have couplers that are attached to undersides of the bodies of the cars, typically proximate the fronts and backs thereof. Although functional, having couplers engaged with the bodies instead of trucks of the cars is unrealistic and takes away from the authenticity of the car and the model railroad set. For three-rail sets, although the couplers are typically attached directly to the trucks of the cars, the couplers are very large and are not close to scale, thereby detracting from the realism and authenticity of the car and the model railroad set. Moreover, regardless of whether the set is of the three-rail or two-rail variety and regardless of the scale of the set, the couplers associated therewith are not adjustable in either a vertical, height direction or a horizontal, length direction. Because the couplers are not adjustable, coupler height and spacing between cars cannot be adjusted and can result in unrealistic coupler heights and spacings between coupled cars.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a coupler assembly that is mounted to the truck of the model railroad car that is close to scale, such that the coupler device has greater realism and authenticity than the generally known couplers. It is further desirable to have a coupler assembly that is adjustable in both a vertical, height direction and a horizontal, length direction to enable the height of the coupler and the spacing between cars to be adjusted in order to add further realism and authenticity.